FAVORITE THINGS

Home buyer loves cubbyholes to hide all that parphernalia

September 03, 2005

One of the unique amenities that we found in our 67-year-old home when we purchased it 42 years ago was a pair of storage spaces on the first floor.

Between the living room and front hallway--and conveniently located near the dining room--are two narrow cubbyholes. These are on each side of the entryway and are fitted into an enlarged wall space. Each measures 12 inches wide, 40 inches deep, and 7 feet tall.

On the one side there is storage space for two card tables and eight chairs, plus a shelf for whatever. The other side holds leaves for the dining room table and extra table pads. It is topped by a shelf for extra light bulbs and the circuit-breaker panel for electrical connections throughout the first and second floors.

These hiding places have been an unbelievable convenience in our home. I have never seen their like in another house. Most homeowners are forced to use space in the coat closet, garage or utility room.

To the architect or home designer, we have been forever grateful for his/her genius that inspired this unusual feature in our home.

-- Eudora Swanson, La Grange Park

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

The search for storage in a home is nearly never-ending, and the issue of where to hide things has gotten more attention in the last half-dozen years.

That's the word from architect Emilio Miniscalco, who says many families hide leaves for the dining room table and other items in a storage area under the stairs.

Home designers are under pressure to provide storage "because people hate to give up space in any room. They don't want to lose even two feet from the dimensions of a floor," says Miniscalco, who is based in St. Charles.

Creating closets and other storage areas often conflicts with the desire to create an open floor plan in a house design, he added.

Popular storage areas include "cubbies" for the kids to stash their sports gear and shoes in a mud room or laundry room, Miniscalco said. Another must-have feature is plenty of upstairs closets, plus a place to hide the vacuum cleaner.

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